Patentable/Patents/US-9605697
US-9605697

Modular clamping system

PublishedMarch 28, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A clamping system includes a housing, a clamping lever pivotally coupled relative to the housing, a clamping arm pivotally coupled relative to the housing and the clamping lever, and an expandable link coupled to the clamping arm. The clamping lever and the clamping arm are rotatable from an open position to a closed position. A method of mounting a device on a substrate using the clamping system is also provided.

Patent Claims
6 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A clamping system comprising: a housing; a first arm, including a generally rectangular plate portion with an exterior side and an interior side, wherein the first arm is coupled to the housing on the interior side, the first arm further including a first arm end; a clamping lever pivotally coupled to the first arm on the exterior side of the first arm, proximate to the first arm end, such that the clamping lever is rotatable in a plane generally perpendicular to the exterior side; a clamping arm pivotally coupled relative to the housing and pivotally coupled relative to the clamping lever, such that the clamping arm is rotatable in a plane generally perpendicular to the interior side; and whereby upon rotation of the clamping lever from an open position to a closed position, at least a portion of the clamping lever remains on the exterior side of the first arm, and the clamping arm is rotated towards the first arm end; and an expandable link pivotally coupled to the housing and the clamping arm.

Plain English Translation

The clamping system consists of a housing, a first arm (which includes a rectangular plate with an exterior and interior side, and is attached to the housing on its interior side, and has an arm end), a clamping lever, a clamping arm, and an expandable link. The clamping lever is attached to the exterior side of the first arm near the arm end and rotates in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's exterior side. The clamping arm is connected to both the housing and the clamping lever, allowing it to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's interior side. When the clamping lever rotates from open to closed, part of it stays on the first arm's exterior, and the clamping arm moves toward the first arm end. The expandable link joins the housing and clamping arm.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The clamping system of claim 1 , wherein the expandable link is a spring.

Plain English Translation

The clamping system is as described above: a housing, a first arm (which includes a rectangular plate with an exterior and interior side, and is attached to the housing on its interior side, and has an arm end), a clamping lever, a clamping arm, and an expandable link. The clamping lever is attached to the exterior side of the first arm near the arm end and rotates in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's exterior side. The clamping arm is connected to both the housing and the clamping lever, allowing it to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's interior side. When the clamping lever rotates from open to closed, part of it stays on the first arm's exterior, and the clamping arm moves toward the first arm end. The link connecting the clamping arm and the housing is specifically a spring.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The clamping system of claim 1 , wherein the expandable link is biased to pull the clamping arm towards the closed position.

Plain English Translation

The clamping system is as described above: a housing, a first arm (which includes a rectangular plate with an exterior and interior side, and is attached to the housing on its interior side, and has an arm end), a clamping lever, a clamping arm, and an expandable link. The clamping lever is attached to the exterior side of the first arm near the arm end and rotates in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's exterior side. The clamping arm is connected to both the housing and the clamping lever, allowing it to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's interior side. When the clamping lever rotates from open to closed, part of it stays on the first arm's exterior, and the clamping arm moves toward the first arm end. The expandable link connecting the clamping arm and the housing is designed to pull the clamping arm towards the closed position.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. A clamping system comprising: a housing; a first arm, including a generally rectangular plate portion with an exterior side and an interior side, wherein the first arm is coupled to the housing on the interior side, the first arm further including a first arm end; a clamping lever pivotally coupled to the first arm on the exterior side of the first arm, proximate to the first arm end, such that the clamping lever is rotatable in a plane generally perpendicular to the exterior side; a clamping arm pivotally coupled relative to the housing, the pivotal coupling relative to the housing comprising a link pivotally coupled to the clamping arm and to the housing, and the clamping arm pivotally coupled relative to the clamping lever, such that the clamping arm is rotatable in a plane generally perpendicular to the interior side; and whereby upon rotation of the clamping lever from an open position to a closed position, at least a portion of the clamping lever remains on the exterior side of the first arm, and the clamping arm is rotated towards the first arm end.

Plain English Translation

This clamping system features a housing, a first arm (including a rectangular plate with an exterior and interior side, attached to the housing on its interior side, and an arm end), a clamping lever, and a clamping arm. The clamping lever is pivotally connected to the first arm's exterior side, near the arm end, and rotates in a plane perpendicular to that side. The clamping arm is linked to both the housing and clamping lever, allowing rotation in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's interior side. The connection to the housing uses a separate link. As the clamping lever rotates from open to closed, a portion remains on the first arm's exterior, and the clamping arm moves towards the first arm end.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. A clamping system comprising: a housing; a first arm, including a generally rectangular plate portion with an exterior side and an interior side, wherein the first arm is coupled to the housing on the interior side, the first arm further including a first arm end; a clamping lever pivotally coupled to the first arm on the exterior side of the first arm, proximate to the first arm end, such that the clamping lever is rotatable in a plane generally perpendicular to the exterior side; a clamping arm pivotally coupled relative to the housing, the pivotal coupling relative to the housing comprising a link pivotally coupled to the clamping arm and to the housing, and pivotally coupled relative to the clamping lever, the pivotal coupling relative to the clamping lever comprising a link pivotally coupled to the clamping arm and to the clamping lever, such that the clamping arm is rotatable in a plane generally perpendicular to the interior side; and whereby upon rotation of the clamping lever from an open position to a closed position, at least a portion of the clamping lever remains on the exterior side of the first arm, and the clamping arm is rotated towards the first arm end.

Plain English Translation

This clamping system includes a housing, a first arm (including a rectangular plate with an exterior and interior side, attached to the housing on its interior side, and an arm end), a clamping lever, and a clamping arm. The clamping lever is pivotally connected to the first arm's exterior side, near the arm end, and rotates in a plane perpendicular to that side. The clamping arm is connected to the housing and clamping lever via separate links, enabling rotation in a plane perpendicular to the first arm's interior side. The clamping lever pivots relative to the clamping arm, through a linking part. As the clamping lever rotates from open to closed, a portion remains on the first arm's exterior, and the clamping arm rotates toward the first arm end.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The clamping system of claim 5 , wherein the link pivotally coupled to the clamping arm and the housing and the link pivotally coupled to the clamping arm and the clamping lever share a pivot point on the clamping arm.

Plain English Translation

The clamping system has a housing, a first arm (with a rectangular plate, exterior/interior sides, housing attachment on the interior, and an arm end), a clamping lever, and a clamping arm. The clamping lever is on the exterior side of the first arm near the end, rotating perpendicularly. The clamping arm links to both the housing and clamping lever separately, for rotation perpendicular to the first arm's interior. The lever pivots to the housing. When the clamping lever rotates, part stays on the first arm's exterior, and the clamping arm rotates to the end. The links connecting the clamping arm to the housing and the clamping arm to the clamping lever share a single pivot point on the clamping arm.

Classification Codes (CPC)

Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

May 15, 2015

Publication Date

March 28, 2017

Want to explore more patents?

Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.

Citation & reuse

Analysis on this page is generated by Patentable — an AI-powered patent intelligence platform. AI-generated summaries, explanations, FAQs, and analysis may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL below. Patent abstracts and claims are USPTO public domain.

Cite as: Patentable. “Modular clamping system” (US-9605697). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9605697

© 2026 Nomic Interactive Technology LLC. Machine-readable context available at /api/llm-context/US-9605697. See llms.txt for full attribution policy.